Chapter 1

It has been millenias since the wise dessert man died and generation after generation of his predecessors were born and died but the ideas of heroes is still living and proved until now…

The scorching sun burned the sweating body of the big-builded man who was semi-naked, jogging around the garden, just like usual, doing his morning run before going for his afternoon patrols. The man was of his late twenties.

Being the newest guy in the police anti-crime department, Cruz, a black, was ordered around by the veterans, especially the star of the department, always ordered him around, from getting him a coffee to cleaning his gun. Although enrolling for the anti-crime department, he was always only doing the patrolling job, instead of the action-packed stuffs that he saw on the silver screen every time there was a movie about police works.

This is in fact a strange thing to the department as the department is known for its highly trained and well-disciplined cops. For a matter of fact, only the elites of the police force in the area which will be given the opportunity to be part of this elite force. Every one of the cops in the department is battle-hardened veterans and is very skilled and experienced. This elite force, specializes in bank robbery. Whenever there is a bank robbery, the squad will be the first and only one to enter the scene. The squad is trained in negotiating and they are also skilled in dealing with emergency situations.

Therefore, every single member of the elite squad is always and must be fit, well-trained and disciplined, most important of all, they must have experience. However, this taboo was broken when a new police academy graduate was taken into the squad. Although he was the highest scorer of his badge, it had never happened when the team took in a fresh man. This was an unacceptable act, the kid would get killed, he lack in experience and solving real life scenario problems.

Every single member of the squad did not agree with what the head did, by taking in this fresh man without any experience. It came as a great mystery in why the head took in this young and fresh man. Every time they try to push the head for an answer, he will always avoid answering the question by treating them to dinner.

Cruz finished his normal 20 rounds jog around the garden and headed back to his house, jogging yet again, but not continuously as he stopped at the bakery for freshly baked breads and also a hot cup of chocolate which is what he does every day and is his power breakfast.

Along the way back, Cruz saw a crying girl in the middle of the road, seemingly she lost her mother. The girl had two pony-tails tied to the back of her hair and she was in a small little pink dress. She seemed to have a sweet in her mouth as she was chewing on to something as she was crying.

Just as Cruz was heading towards her, a middle-aged man in tuxedo got off his Porsche and asked the girl what’s wrong. From the distance, Cruz knew that she would be safe so he continued his slow jog back home.

Cruz lived in a simple house, a two bedded apartment at the 13^th floor, which was not a good level to be staying in. Despite many comments of friends and suggestions for him to sell the flat, he still continued to stay there as it was that place where he met Josephine, his crush when he was in college.

During that time, Cruz was a nerdy college student who always got bullied by the bigger whites in college. Being the minority in the college, Cruz could only soundlessly accept his fate. It was back then when he met her. She moved into the next unit to his apartment. Josephine was a mix-blooded with golden hair and hazel brown eyes. In Cruz’s eyes, she was the most beautiful female he had ever met and that was when it all started which brought Cruz into this state.

It was one summer morning, when Josephine did not turn up at Cruz’s apartment for breakfast. This was very odd as it was not like Josephine to miss breakfast, especially that she had asked Cruz to cook her a special meal the day before, before she left for a party.

Feeling very odd, Cruz went off to school in a rush. Cruz went to Josephine’s best friend, Stella where was Josephine. Stella hesitated for a while before she told Cruz a shocking news which totally changed him. Stella told him that Josephine was found lying in the bushes near the roof of the house where they had party when people started leaving in the morning.

The result of the police investigation was that Josephine had committed a suicide but Cruz did not believe it. Cruz felt that there was something amiss and he really wanted to find out so he decided to enroll the police training course so that one day when he becomes powerful enough to really investigate and find the real culprit for the incidence but to his vain, although he is in the elite squad, he is not even treated as one. He is asked to do jobs of a normal policeman, patrolling the streets, instead of following the rest of the squad in their mission to topple the community of bank robbers.

Cruz continued his slow jog back home to have a rest and change before he is to go for his patrol for the day. He is somehow looking forward to it now, as he is having a feeling that today, is going to be a great day.

Prologue

Walking through the desert, dragging unwillingly through the seemingly everlasting stretch of desert, the father and son had been walking through the desert for days, in search for an oasis to settle down. It has been days since they started the journey, all their food and water supply are running short and would be out if they do not reach an oasis in a few days’ time.

Just as the day darkened, the pair settled near a cactus plant, extracting water from it, it is only during these times when they dared to settle down to drink as it was a fact that bandits would attack travelers going through the desert whenever they stop, which makes them an easy target once they get off their camels.

The pair laid on their backs, looking at the endless sky, just as the endless desert they are passing through. The pair’s family links back further than any other family in the desert. Being the first settlers of this vast plain of desert, therefore nobody in the family ever talked about land out of the deserts, and generation after generation, they slowly assumed that this place they are staying in is a place of endless sand and rocks, so their life was never exciting, it was just the same one thing that they repeats every day and life seemed to be a torturous one.

The father spoke first, breaking the silence, being the eldest in among his siblings, he was therefore the only that was taught, that was literate. Despite the ability to read, there was no use of it in the vast plain of desert, it was just to show the status of the family.

‘There is no stars in the sky today, finish all the food and water we have and sleep early tonight, tomorrow’s going to be a hard one.’

Not knowing what was going on, the younger one spoke, ‘But why so papa?’

‘There are no stars nor moon in the sky tonight, and it is only during these type of times where heroes are born, and it is only during times of pain and agony when heroes are born, when heroes stand out and the dark sky is an omen, a sign to us that tomorrow is going to bring much bloodshed as it is only during the time of heroes when blood is shed.’

Being too young to understand, the young one just acted as if he was listening and feel asleep, smiling while dreaming, not knowing that only darkness awaits ahead.

The old one was wiser, he sat leg-crossed, looking at the sky, hoping that someone would be out there, not a hero who brings bloodshed along, but an angel which answers to calls of mankind, bringing a sense of safeness along, protecting people from harm and brings peace but as he was taught, this would never happen as this element was not put into mankind, when it was assembled together and this element would never be present in human nature, not past nor future, never.

With a soft ‘szzzzt’ sound, sleepiness overcame the wise one and he knew that he would not get to see the moon again, as he had noticed that shadows were creeping towards him before the effect of the poison was triggered.